About the Book
2026 Nautilus Book Awards - Silver Winner
2026 Eric Hoofer Book Award - Health Category Winner
2026 International Book Awards - Parenting and Family Winner
A guide for parents to help teenagers use mindfulness in their everyday lives.
The teen years have always been stressful-a time of rapid development of the mind and body, constant downward pressure on self-esteem, and increased fear and anxiety. Added to these age-old issues are the new stressors of social media, smartphones, the internet, school violence, and more. How are teens to deal with this stress? And how can parents support them?
In A Mindful Teen: Helping Today's Teenagers Thrive Through Gratitude, Acceptance, Intention, and Nonjudgment, parents and other “first responders”-teachers, coaches, counselors, and relatives-are provided with invaluable coping strategies for their children. Each chapter takes a deep dive into the challenges and pressures teenagers face and offers solutions based on mindfulness practices that parents and teens can work through together. It also includes a discussion of various parenting styles and points to ways to improve relationships through understanding, empathy, and healthy attachment.
Grounded in the GAIN methodology, which emphasizes gratitude, acceptance, intention, and nonjudgment, A Mindful Teen offers a simple yet effective message: we can all learn to be more mindful and aware of our experiences to become happier, confident, and more fulfilled.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
PART I: The Critical Issues Facing Teenagers Today
Chapter 1. Smartphones
Chapter 2. It's All About Sex
Chapter 3. Dealing With an Evolving World: New Anxieties
PART II: Parenting Strategies
Chapter 4. The Role of Parents and Parenting
Chapter 5. Cultivating Compassion, Forgiveness, and Empathy
Chapter 6. Mindfulness for Teens
PART III: The GAIN Method
Chapter 7. Gratitude
Chapter 8. Acceptance
Chapter 9. Intention
Chapter 10. Nonjudgment
PART IV: Putting It All Together
Chapter 11. The Gain Meditation
Chapter 12. The Journey of Adolescence
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
About the Authors
About the Author :
Greg Hammer, MD, is a physician, best-selling author, and mindfulness expert. He was a Stanford University School of Medicine Professor for more than 25 years, a member of the Stanford WellMD initiative, and Chief of the Wellness Task Force for the California Society of Anesthesiologists. Dr. Hammer has given workshops on physical, mental, and spiritual well-being across the U.S. and in dozens of other countries.
Eric Wentworth was an award-winning creative director at major advertising agencies in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. He has also worked for several internet startups, was a marketing advisor to the world's largest angel investor organization, and is a serial entrepreneur. Eric is the co-author of A Mindful Career, a guide to successfully managing a career by using mindfulness principles. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
John P. Rettger, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, author, and expert on mindfulness-based approaches for mental health and well-being. He is in private practice in the San Diego area. Dr. Rettger previously directed mindfulness programming and engaged in mindfulness research at the Stanford University Early Life Stress & Pediatric Anxiety Program.
Review :
In A Mindful Teen, Hammer, Rettger, and Wentworth offer practical, clear, and direct guidance, resources, and facts for anyone who interacts with youth. Along with engaging historical anecdotes, they present current issues and struggles that impact teenagers, such as the role of social media, smartphones, environmental stress, and others. The authors offer valuable advice on how to communicate with (and listen to!) teens. Parents and those that care for youth are introduced to concepts such as mindfulness, gratitude, and acceptance by providing simple, easy to understand approaches. A useful toolkit for a task that at times can be challenging.
A Mindful Teen is a wonderful guide to helping teens become more mindful and therefore cope with the stress of growing up with more resilience. Grounded in research and easy to read, this book is invaluable for parents and caregivers who want to improve the lives of the adolescents they care about.
A Mindful Teen skillfully elucidates the difficulties of being a young person in today's world. The book then shows adults and teens how to counteract those pervasive negative influences. Through mindfulness and other positive practices, the book offers a roadmap for creating a healthy and vibrant adolescence.
A Mindful Teen bridges the gap between understanding teenage struggles and taking mindful action. Through the GAIN method, the authors offer parents and caregivers a practical roadmap for supporting adolescent wellbeing. While not a cure-all, this book provides valuable tools for families navigating the complex terrain of modern adolescence. A Mindful Teen is a useful contribution to the conversation about adolescent mental health and mindfulness practice.
A Mindful Teen is an easy, accessible book for both teens and adults. It goes to the heart of the matter. GAIN. A great way we can live. Those simple letters can change our inner and outer life. A fun and creative book, filled with wisdom and loving kindness. As a dad with a teen and a head coach for girls' varsity soccer in high school, I will definitely be giving this out.
A Mindful Teen is like a roadmap for teachers, parents, and other adult caregivers of tweens and teens, to help the teens in their life. The book is filled with studies and inspirational quotes from the masters. His message is that with planning and intention, the adults in a teen's life can be instrumental in their positive growth and living a happier life. Great tips for everyone in the family to share!
A mindful approach to helping solve the unique combination of mental health issues teenagers and their parents face in today's complex world.
A Mindful Teen is a very important book for us to understand the teens of the twenty-first century, as well as the effects of the pandemic and social media on this age group. Congratulations to the authors for their valuable contribution. I highly recommend this work to parents, grandparents, and mentors of our generation Z youth. Bravo!
